Samsung has released a few pieces of disposable wearable tech this year. Despite the company's efforts to become more sustainable, offer prolonged support, and improve repairability, some of this year's Galaxy wearable devices, like the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Ring, went the opposite way and became more or less unrepairable.
If and when these devices break down, users will be better off throwing them away than trying to repair them. Teardowns and very low repairability scores show that the Galaxy Buds 3 series is almost unrepairable. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Ring is entirely disposable. If your Galaxy Ring goes bad, your only option is replacing it.
For many of us, this doesn't come as a surprise. That's just the harsh downside of downsizing some of these incredibly clever and complex technologies. The more compact they get, the harder they become to repair, especially if you want to DIY.
Once an OEM goes over a certain miniaturization threshold for a product, the matter of repairability is out of the user's hands. There's a point where components and products become too small and complex to be easily repaired by users or third-party repair shops without super-specialized equipment.
While we might have no choice but to accept this reality that seems to fuel e-waste, we have to wonder if Samsung could do something to make it easier to swallow this fact and mitigate the impact these devices could have on the environment and even our wallets.
For a start, Samsung could offer global trade-in and better recycling programs
Samsung could do many things to try balancing this growing problem of disposable tech, but the solutions we think might work best are a solid global trade-in program and new ways to think about recycling in exchange for Store Credit.
Take the Galaxy Ring, for example. Perhaps Samsung should not only offer good trade-in values for the original model whenever the sequel gets released, but the company could take extra steps and create new reward programs around wearable tech, in general, as long as it's hard or impossible to repair.
One idea is to allow customers to trade-in certain wearables in exchange for discounts on any new products, and not just products in the same category. We shouldn't have to buy a new pair of wireless earbuds in order to trade-in the old pair. We should get the option to exchange disposable tech for a lower price on, say, a new Galaxy phone, TV, home appliance, and so on.
Furthermore, even if customers have no intention of buying a new Samsung product right now, they should have permanent access to a program that allows them to recycle broken Galaxy wearables in exchange for Samsung Store Credit they can keep and use later.
In some markets, Samsung does link to some recycling partners, but that's more or less an image and marketing thing than something that helps customers directly. So, to recap, what I believe Samsung should do is:
- A global trade-in program for disposable tech/wearables that are hard to repair. Not just limited to some markets but available everywhere and very easy to use.
- An expansive trade-in program that would allow customers to exchange disposable wearable tech for discounts when they buy any Samsung product — not just a product from the same category that corresponds to the recycled product.
- An always-open recycling program through which Galaxy wearable users can recycle unrepairable products in exchange for Store Credit, even if they don't intend to buy anything right now. They should be able to store the Credit indefinitely and use it at any time on any Samsung products they like.
Admittedly, the thought has entered my mind that a company with not-so-good intentions could be tempted to abuse such systems to create even more disposable products that only they can then take back through recycling programs designed to keep users invested in their products through Store Credit.
However, Samsung is already fighting for better repairability wherever possible, more so than any other mobile OEM, as the company — like many others — is pushed by EU regulations to become more sustainable and consumer-friendly.
So, conspiracies aside, the reality is that some products are simply too small to be repairable. And with the EU and other governmental bodies watching over its shoulders, Samsung probably doesn't want to create more disposable tech if it can avoid it.
But to combat e-waste and mitigate the disadvantages of some products that can't realistically be repairable (such as smart rings), Samsung might have to think outside the box, create new programs, and make it very convenient for customers to recycle and trade for discounts and rewards.
These solutions may or may not make the planet cleaner, but at least they may help Samsung and its customers recycle more. And at the end of the day, customers could at least get more value from their unrepairable products.
